99X: Exercises in Style

This book is a fascinating exploration of the interaction of format and content, and anyone interested in the comic medium should own a copy. —Johanna Draper Carlson, Comics Worth Reading

99 Ways to Tell a Story: Exercises in Style (2005) is a seriously playful exploration of the possibilities and potential of comics and storytelling. It was inspired by the French author Raymond Queneau’s 1947 book Exercises in Style(FrEng), itself inspired by Bach’s Art of the Fugue. The book is based on a simple one-page anecdote which I re-draw and re-tell 99 times in different genres and drawing styles, in the form of homages and parodies, and in formal experiments that test the boundaries of the medium of comics.

Publishing history

99X (my short-hand for it and also my recommended #hashtag) has been published to great critical acclaim and modest commercial success in the UK (Jonathan Cape), France (L’Association), Spain (Sins Entido), Italy (Black Velvet, out of print), Belgium (Strip Turnhout), and Japan (Kokusho Kankokai) . You can also read it online in German or Hungarian. I am always interested in new foreign editions so if you are a translator, editor, publisher, or superfan, please get in touch as I control the rights.

Explore 99 Ways to Tell a Story: Exercises in Style

It’s still very fresh, and it still seems boundless in all the variations you present. I believe it’s one of the great achievements of contemporary comic art.—David Bordwell, Film Art (from personal correspondence, used with permission)

99X invites…

Fabio Zimbres (Brazil)

In 1998, I sent an invitation out to a group of cartoonist friends asking them to create their own one-page comic based on a short text description of the 99X scenario. It is with pleasure and gratitude that I offer you this international gallery of guest exercises in style.

99X in the classroom

99X workshop at The Animation Workshop, Viborg, Denmark

99X is an outstanding resource for teaching about comics, literary point of view, visual rhetoric, or storytelling. I teach workshops at all different levels and I’m particularly interested in doing more teacher training workshops on how to use the principles of my book as tools for learning.

It’s a terrific way to think about comics-making from practice-based means. —Nick Sousanis, PhD, author of Unflattening

A good starting point is my blog post about using 99X in the classroom.

Oubapo

99X made me aware of Oulipo (Workshop for Potential Literature), the experimental literary group Queneau co-founded, and Oubapo (Workshop for Potential Comics) and eventually it made them aware of me. I am now a member of Oubapo and friendly with Oulipo, having been a guest at one of their famous monthly dinners in 2009. Learn more about all that on my Oubapo page.

99X Press

Here are some reviews and interviews in various languages about 99X and related topics:

Posts about 99X

A rewarding parallel project of my 99 Ways to Tell a Story was my invitation to fellow artists to created their own takes on my story template. If you haven’t seen it yet, be sure to take a look in the Guest Artists section of the “Exercises in Style” website. I still occasionally get contributions […]

I guess I can retire from comics now: I’ve been published by L’Association, one of THE great comics publishers ever. This is the definitive edition of my book: much nicer paper stock, flaps, and an expanded color section. I just got my copy from the printer; the book goes on sale in France in mid-November.

What if I were to draw 99 more exercises in style? I’m not planning to, but here’s a list of potential (and in some cases improbable if not impossible) candidates for a hypothetical second batch.

I think that the way creators work within the constraints of genre can be extremely fascinating. Constraints are not only for the OuBaPian avant-garde, they also apply to those trying to write a six page story about a misplaced love letter or a duck trying to guard his dime.
—Bart Beaty